Geneva Crepe Cafe
297 Princess St. at Clergy St.
Open Mon-Sat: 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sun: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Cash and credit card accepted
This is the beginning of a series of local restaurant reviews that will run periodically in the Journal throughout the year. The intention is to provide information and critical reviews of the restaurant options in Kingston, with a particular emphasis on newer establishments that are not yet as well known as the tried and true Limestone city landmarks.
Geneva, a European-style crêperie, opened in a long-vacant storefront at Princess and Clergy in mid-August and with any luck will divert some lucky people away from the Tim Horton’s on the kitty-corner. When they pass the folk-art grease-pencil lettering on the front window they will find many appealing choices, wrapped up nicely in a tasty crêpe based on owner-chef Genevieve’s family recipe. The restaurants decor is minimal, modern, and new, with yellow and red being the predominant colours. This matches the exterior yellow brick, and, combined with the floor-to-ceiling windows facing Clergy St, catching the sun all day long, the ambiance is bright, cheery and indicates an optimistic breakfast to begin your day.
The tables and chairs are a bit rigid, which suggests that one is not expected to linger too long; but then this arrangement also means that one not feel obliged to bring a partner, or feel out of place on their own.
There is only half table service: Orders are placed and paid for immediately at the cash register in the fast food style, being brought to your table later after a preparation time of about five or six minutes. That doesn’t mean you should neglect the small tip jar next to the cashier.
The menu though is divided into savoury and sweet crêpes and panini sandwiches. The Bombay curried chicken, served on a choice of crêpe or naan ($10), sounded intriguing, as did the lox (smoked salmon) accented with chives ($12), but we decided to order from the sweet side and had the fruit blitz crêpe ($9).
In short time arrived a well-filled crêpe pocket: we counted julienned Golden Delicious apples, strawberries, blueberries, banana and peaches, with slivered hazelnuts (also called filberts), a pouf of whipped cream, a dusting of confectioner’s sugar and just the right amount of caramel sauce (chocolate also available.) This was very well executed, the julienneing of the fruit being a labour intensive task that oxidizes brown in a short time—everything was fresh and crisp. There really isn’t anything that can be said against this dish. Their medium roast coffee we found fragrant and fresh, but the iced-cappucino was quite weak and milky. Our server, Rachel was excellent.
The Geneva Crêpe Café is the kind of place that really adds value to Princess Street and to Kingston, and while the fruit blitz crêpe is twice as expensive as the yogurt & berries from the place across the street, you will get so much more from your visit here than there. It is the kind of comfortable and convivial establishment that rewards repeat visits.
– Steven Meece
Sima Sushi
66 Princess St. at King
Open Mon, Wed, Thurs and Sun:
11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.,
Tues: Closed
Fri and Sat: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.,
Cash and credit card accepted
Any die-hard sushi lover in the general Kingston area knows better than to waste their time with Sushi-Q or Asha, or even Sakura’s all-you-can-eat menu out in the wastelands of Bath Road.
It’s all about Sima Sushi, located near the end of Princess Street just by the water. With an exposed stone-brick wall, high ceilings and attentive servers dressed in traditional Japanese attire, the atmosphere is nothing but chic and inviting.
As we sipped complimentary green tea, our table poured over the menu that covered all the necessities (plus some interesting quirky options, like shitake mushroom sushi pizza), without having the overwhelming Bible-sized menu laden with too many choices. Staples included a large array of nigiri, sashimi, maki, udon soups, maki deluxe rolls and a surprisingly large selection of vegetarian options. The sizable Yam Dragon ($7.95), an avocado and cucumber roll wrapped in yam tempura and sprinkled with sesame seeds, is a notable choice.
Our table munched through some edamame and the most delectable sashimi appetizer I’ve ever encountered. The uni (sea urchin), butterfish, mackerel and the classic salmon were tender and fresh. Topped with a touch of wasabi, some soya and a thinly sliced ginger garnish, I feel the same excitement and sheer euphoria as the moment when Steve Aoki drops his Warp 1.9 remix at his annual Stages show.
In the maki deluxe menu, the Love Love Salmon Roll—spicy salmon roll wrapped in torched salmon—is a must-have at Sima. The combination of crunchy and smooth mirrors the perfection of yin and yang. And yes, it does measure up to its name. I loved it.
Ryan Rodriguez, a fourth-year student who spent this past year abroad fanatically scoping out London’s snowballing sushi scene said that, “The rockstar is maki at its finest. Shrimp tempura and spicy salmon come together to create something truly beautiful. It’s the new power couple of the sushi scene.”
After her recent stint in Japan and China, globetrotting sushi guru (also a fourth-year global development student), Emily Rosen knows what’s up in the world of rice and raw fish.
“Fresh, high-quality raw fish is what makes or breaks the sushi restaurant on the block,” she said. “Sima shares their fish supplier with a few four-star spots in Toronto, shipped in daily. You know its good when all you want to do is keep chewing and infinitely taste the flavours exploding from your bite-size maki. I never want to swallow at Sima,” she said.
Although Sima isn’t a complete bargain, you can still walk out with a food baby for around $20. There are various dinner specials ranging from $14.95 to 18.95 that provide a combination of sashimi, large maki rolls, miso soup and a fresh garden salad with that unreal orange dressing everyone could eat sans lettuce.
And FYI, learning how to make your own sushi in the questionable comfort of a Queen’s Ghetto house isn’t as far fetched of a routine dinner plan as you might think. All ingredients and supplies can be purchased at Metro. Sushi mats are a whopping $3, sheets of precut seaweed go for $1.99 and the cost of learning how to roll the perfect avocado/cucumber maki off a YouTube video, priceless.
– Sara Melvin
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